Archive for March 14th, 2010

If you can afford to buy, renovate and sell a house right now, good for you! You are doing way better than most people. Flipping houses is a great way to make money and with this economy, now is the time to buy.

The ideal situation is to buy now, fix it up and rent until the real estate market comes back into full swing, then sell. Even if you buy now and sell it is worth it. But just remember the market is what it is right now, so don’t expect to be making a fortune on flips, unless you buy something really low and sink some money into it and sell for a moderate price.

Now, if I were you and could flip houses the first thing I would do is make buddy-buddy with a real estate agent (I would suggest Nicole Borsey, she is the only real estate agent I would trust with a project like this). Real estate agents get the listings first and by making friends with one or two can help get you the inside tip to a great buy. Plus they are always full of great suggestions to get the most bang for your buck on renovations.

Foreclosures and bank owned properties are a great place to start. Banks just want enough money so it is not a loss for them. So if the house is worth $300,000 but the bank only needs a $150,000 to cover the rest of the mortgage, you can probably get the house for around a $150k. This is sweet because it already puts you a head of the game when it comes time to resell.

Know your numbers. What you can afford to put into the house and what you will get out of the house. Go over the numbers with your contractor and than go over them again. Don’t go over. Stick to the numbers.

Once you find your property and get your mortgage, you have to really look at what is worth fixing in the house. Is it going to be a good return on investment??? Kitchens and bathrooms are usually the money makers. You give a kitchen a make over and it is usually instant relief when someone walks into the house.

*****Remember if you open up the walls, whatever you find behind the sheetrock has to be brought up to code if it is below code standards. So opening up the walls can be a gamble, if you find that you need to up date all the electric and plumbing the price of poker just went up.******

Finding a contractor you can trust is worth it’s weight in gold. Some contractors are willing to work with you if they know they are getting more work on the next house. Having a contractor who is consistent, uses good sub contractors and can get the work done quick, clean, and at a good price is key to flipping houses.

If you are going to do the work yourself on nights and weekends, flipping a house is not a quick process. There are advantages to doing it yourself if you are capable of doing the work. If you are not…by all means don’t be ashamed to hire someone. I have friends that think they are more “handy” than they really are around the house. They cause more damage and make the job cost twice as much if they hired someone. Figure out what your time is worth and where you make more money, being a contractor or doing whatever it is you do everyday. More than likely you will make more money at your job rather than the contactors.

Finally, don’t pull a Richard Gere in Pretty Woman, DON’T FALL IN LOVE! It’s a flip. You come in, do the work and get out. No need to get emotionally involved in the house. The house knows what you are using it for; it’s why you paid for it in the first place. You wanted something quick. It’s nothing personal, it’s a business deal. You are in it to make money, remember that.